GamingNexus Gaming Memories Part 1

Rather than do the standard best of article, we decided to come up with our top gaming memories from 2008. The idea took on a life of it's own and the results speak for themselves.

Funniest gaming moment you experienced or witnessed?
I was watching John and Chuck test out Saint’s Row 2 on the PS3 and John kept tea bagging every person he shot, but it got old after about ten minutes (he did it a lot!). So that leaves the logical choice of watching Chuck belt out “Call Me” by Blondie on Rock Band at his annual 4th of July party. You had to be there, but this clip gives a pretty good rendition. – Dan Keener

Playing the final level of Assassin’s Creed and having the game glitch on me. I was fighting along a clone of myself for a while and then when all the enemies where gone me and my clone battled to the death with mirrored moves. – Nathan Murray

My Hetero-Life/Gaming-Partner Zac and I were rolling through Left 4 Dead when we come upon a Witch. I was in the process of sneaking up on her after he and I cleared the rest of the room, with Zac on the high ground with his sniper rifle. “Hey,” he says, “I think I can take her.” “Your call,” I acknowledge. He takes his shot, and it wounds but doesn’t kill; the Witch Usain Bolt’s right past me, and what follows is the transcript of Zac’s plaintive screams as the Witch chases him halfway down the map: <BAM> “Oh. Oh God. Oh f*ck. OH!! AAH! AAAAH!” <throws a molotov> “BURN THE WITCH! BURN THE WITCH! WHY AREN’T YOU HELPING>! AAH!...and I’m dead.” – Sean Nack

Sean Nack is a close personal friend and one of our newest writers at Gaming Nexus. He stayed the weekend of my 30th birthday in October, and it was game time. I placed Dead Space in the drive and made sure the lights were out and that the room was chilly. Even though the sci-fi horror had already made my nerves shot, Sean’s time with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan had grown him significantly larger … juevos … than mine. One Dead Space Necromorph was at the end of a hallway and started trudging away at a broken pace. Rather than sit out the darkly-lit and confusing situation, Sean advanced quickly on the snarling creature as it disappeared around a corner, and drawing upon his military training, Sean yelled out “Hey! Present yourself as a target!” – Randy Kalista

The funniest moment I think I've witnessed this year has to be when Chuck and I were playing Army of Two. The AI can get a little wonky at times but the one in particular was seeing one of the enemies try to take cover. What happened was we killed everyone but one and there was a barrier that he was hiding behind. He must have been confused on where Chuck and I was because the next thing we saw was the guy hop over the barrier, run back around, duck and hop ever again. He repeated this over and over while Chuck and I were laughing our asses off. – John Yan

My partner and I discovered a floating green onion in Lord of the Rings Online – Eva Sines
I know it's kind of lame but I laughed my ass off when I created my "Crack Whore Wendy" character for Saints Row 2. There's really nothing like defiling a major corporate icon for laughs. - Charles Husemann

My fiancées reaction the first time I made her character 'explode' in the demo of Lego Indiana Jones. – Ben Berry

Having my partner crush me with a car in Gears of War 2. – Matt Mirkovich

At this year's E3 Media & Business Summit I had the pleasure of being invited to the Konami Press Conference. The event was exactly what I expected, a series of short videos showing off Konami's biggest 2008 games, such as a couple of new Castlevania games, Silent Hill and a new Track 'n Field game. But nothing could prepare me for what would be the single biggest press conference failure of all time. I'm of course talking about Rock Revolution. To start things off, Konami introduced their big music game by first bringing out The Sheenas, an all girl Ramones cover band. From there the idea was to transition from the real band to the fake band, all playing Rock Revolution. Unfortunately only two people remained on stage, the product managers and some random dude on the drums. Although the drummer knew what he was doing, the product manager failed out at around the 50% mark. That's right, they failed. They lost the song. And to make matters worse, they thanked the audience and then ended the press conference. It's one of those events where you hate laughing at them, but there is nothing funnier than watching the game developers fail at their own game! – Cyril LachelMost amazing gaming moment you experienced or witnessed?

I witnessed someone go 1 versus 5 in Gears of War 2 multiplayer and they systematically took down all 5 opponents. No small feat. – Elliot Bonnie

Maybe it was fate, a glitch or what not, but I whipped a grenade off a building top with 10 seconds left in Call of Duty IV and got a quadruple kill from it. It just happened that four of the players I was competing against were all converged on each as my grenade blew with a couple seconds left and took all of them out with the blast. From my understanding, one guy was being stalked with a knife by one player, who was about to be killed from behind with a knife by a third which happened as the fourth guy came running out of a building with guns blazing. – Dan Keener

The end of Braid was so existential, twisted, upside down and shocking that I actually still get tingles when I think about how a jumbled disjointed story could lead to something so profound. My first encounter with existentialism in gaming. – Nathan Murray

It was a moment that lasted less than a second, but it had an impact that I would’ve never expected. As I was driving through the jungle in Far Cry 2, the dappled, setting sun came pouring through the leaves of a tree, exactly as it would in real life. It was a moment of realization for me; I remember when I was 8 or 9 years old while playing Street Fighter II about the mythic “someday” that game graphics would become so good that they would be nearly photorealistic. We’re not quite there yet, but we’re close, and while it may not be my biggest dream, it is nonetheless a dream realized. – Sean Nack

Though contrived, getting my absolutely, unequivocally non-gamer wife to play 20-odd hours of Fable 2 was a watershed moment in our relationship. Peter Molyneux’s written appeal for reviewers to hand the controller over to a non-gamer was one of the most therapeutic things we could’ve been asked to do. Before that, the Xbox 360 was a divisive device that was raising the drawbridge on a fragile three-year marriage. Now? We affectionately refer to Peter as Dr. Molyneux. (A little joke in the truth, a little truth in the joke.) – Randy Kalista

Mario Kart Wii and its online mode have brought a number of amazing moments, but for me it was outrunning a dreaded blue shell just long enough to cross the finish line. – Sean Colleli

The greatest moments in gaming this year was playing Rock Band and Rock Band 2 on the projector with our family and friends. – Eva Sines

The sheer amount of effort people put into their model-based table top gaming layouts while visiting Origins Game Fair – Ben Berry

Watching Street Fighter 4 being booted up for the first time at Planet Zero here in Houston. – Matt MirkovichWhat was the most jaw-dropping gaming news item you came across?

Final Fantasy XIII headed to the Xbox 360. – Elliot Bonnie

It was probably the announcement that the last great holdout of the non-SCEA PlayStation exclusives would be hitting the Xbox 360. I don’t think half the people in the crowd at E3 figured it out until about 15 seconds into the trailer that Final Fantasy XIII was coming to the Xbox 360. – Dan Keener

Ghostbusters being (temporarily) cancelled. I really love the movies and can’t wait for the game. – Nathan Murray

As a long-time Sony hater, I was excited to see that Final Fantasy was coming to the Xbox. Not that I’m excited to see JRPGs, no-no; I’m excited to see a major pillar fall out from underneath the Japanese Giant. – Sean Nack

With Activision cutting off the much-anticipated Ghostbusters and Brutal Legend from the publishing queue -- all while keeping Crash Bandicoot and The Legend of Spyro, for heavens’ sake -- I knew immediately that Activision was to be a new blight upon the video game industry. Two fresh, exciting IPs guillotined in favor of two stale, undeserving washouts.– Randy Kalista

I was pretty surprised that the ESA decided to return E3 to its old format after such a lackluster show this year. I’m hoping they find a perfect middle point between the various points this year but to have all the big publishers’ change direction on the decision they made two years ago was kind of stunning. – Charles Husemann

It might not have concerned a game, but Jack Thompson’s permanent disbarment was pretty jaw-dropping. The guy had managed to sleaze his way out of the consequences so many times before, so it was fantastic to see all of his bluster, insults, threats and unprofessional behavior come back to bite him, as all the important people he’d offended returned to gang up on him. – Sean Colleli

Seeing the news that Phil Harrison was leaving to go to Atari was pretty jaw dropping for me. – John Yan

I am always appalled when I read an article about a crime that blames videogames instead of the depraved psychotic that stabbed, shot or maimed someone else. – Eva Sines

We've elected a president who had the presence of mind (or staff with such) that advertised in video games specifically to remind gamers to take time away on Election Day to vote. – Ben Berry

Chrono Trigger being re-released this year for Nintendo DS. – Matt Mirkovich

Maybe not a piece of gaming news, per se, but for me the most jaw-dropping moment of the year happened at the Nintendo Press Conference, held just before the 2008 E3 Media & Business Summit. Nintendo has always been a little hit or miss, but this year it felt like they would have something big for us gaming-types to get excited about. We didn't know what, but on the heels of Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Mario Galaxy, the idea of a new Pikmin, Punch-Out, or Kid Icarus danced in our heads. Perhaps I should have known I was going to be disappointed when I realized that in order to get to this 7 am event, I would need to wake up at 5 am and then commute half way across Los Angeles. To make matters worse, Nintendo decided against giving us any kind of food or drinks before (or after) the event. Instead we were herded into the Kodak Theater to witness each and every one of the Nintendo team make a fool out of themselves. The entire event felt like one huge train wreck; from Wii Music to the lack of any Nintendo DS announcements to Animal Crossing looking exactly like the GameCube version to the fact that Nintendo actually thought that this is what we wanted to see at 7 am. It was pathetic, easily the worst press conference I have ever been to. It wasn't just jaw-dropping, it actually made me physically angry. How dare they waste my time? How dare they waste any of our time? – Cyril LachelBest in-game accomplishment?

Beating Halo 3 in a single day. – Elliot Bonnie

In fall out three I solved differences between two groups without firing a single bullet. That’s when I realized the lines between FPS and RPG were official crossed and Fallout 3 is now the roof on the house of the FPS/RPG genre. – Nathan Murray

It was the opening week of ship-to-ship combat MMO, Pirates of the Burning Sea. Open PvP hadn’t started yet -- it was on a one-week delay timer, if I remember correctly -- and I’d already joined forces with a French guild. Of the four nations, France had the lowest population, which probably made us band together in ever-larger groups. Our guild leader proposed an “Intimidation Run.” With no danger of losing any ships to PvP yet, we gathered together -- over 100 ships -- dyed all of our sails blue (viva la resistance!) and moved as a massive flotilla across the entire Caribbean. We’d port in enemy nations’ capital cities, disembark onto their docks, and lag the entire town as we raised our fists into the air with a /cheer. Glory days, I tell you. Moments like that simply cannot be recreated.– Randy Kalista

Everybody does it eventually, but getting all the way through Horde with my brother was a satisfying accomplishment. – Sean Colleli

Mine has to be all the extra weapons you can pick up once you reach a certain number of achievements in Team Fortress 2. I worked a lot in trying to get the Pyro's new Axe and Backburner. I wouldn't play the Heavy as much if it wasn't for the new minigun and Sandvich. – John Yan

I earned mastery for fifth tier gardening in LOTRO. – Eva Sines

My promotion to the NHL in Be a Pro mode of NHL 09 – Ben Berry

Defeating every person in my office at Street Fighter 3 3rd Strike (which sadly doesn't translate too well to the fighting game scene). – Matt MirkovichBest integration of music into a game, game trailer or game commercial?

I'll tell you the worst integration of music into a game, the hardcore rock music in Call of Duty: World at War. What were they thinking? – Elliot Bonnie

I know the game was a huge disappointment, but using Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” in the Lost Odyssey trailer was an exceptional choice. It made the game seem like it would be an epic adventure instead of the epic failure it was. – Dan Keener

PixelJunk Eden’s eclectic mix of techno music and ambient tones establishes that you really aren’t playing just another game and helps fuel the art house feeling of the game - Charles Husemann

Audiosurf is the best example because the game IS all about integrating the sound bites you already own and turning them into the game. – Nathan Murray

Definitely the music in Far Cry 2. The way it goes up and down perfectly in place with the action, and firmly entrenching the African atmosphere is unparalleled in my gaming experience.
Most annoying gaming habit you came across in online play – Sean Nack

In Gears of War 2’s “Last Day” trailer, they recruited Denver, Colorado, band DeVotchKa with their immigrant-ballad-sounding “How It Ends.” The song plays like a tragic carnival. In a good way. – Randy Kalista

It’s not exactly music, but Alan Seeger’s “Rendezvous” in the Gears of War 2 ad was quite evocative. If that doesn’t count, the trailer played to DeVotchKa’s “How it Ends” was, in my opinion, more powerful than the original game’s “Madworld” trailer. – Sean Colleli

Fallout 3's soundtrack and radio stations really make the atmosphere for the game. – Eva Sines

Still Alive - Portal - Jonathan Coulton [we know the game came out last year but it’s still new to Ben] – Ben Berry

Still Alive in Mirror's Edge, for some reason it worked incredibly well for me and got me really hyped on the game. – Matt Mirkovich

* The product in this article was sent to us by the developer/company for review.